66 Old Stories

In traditional Chinese culture, unmarried people are considered children, and even after working for a few years, they can still receive New Year's money.

Once you get married, you're an adult.

Ye Zhenzhen's New Year was quite different from previous years.

As Gu Tingshen's seniority increased, he distributed red envelopes to the younger generation one by one, listening to them call him "aunt" and "auntie." He smiled on the surface but felt awkward inside, finding the experience quite novel.

After dinner, at the Gu family's old house, she sat among a group of married young women, listening to their conversation, and felt as if a new world had opened up for her.

Many of the topics were things she had never heard of before, such as the birthing process, postpartum recovery, and entrance exams.

Although she couldn't participate, she mingled among them, listening with great interest and broadening her horizons.

As they chatted, the conversation drifted to Ye Zhenzhen.

"...After having a baby, no matter how much you lose weight, you can never go back to how you were before. Before I had my baby, I wasn't much fatter than Zhenzhen, but now I'm almost twice her size."

A round-faced young woman in a purple dress smiled as she pinched her stomach, looking distressed.

Ye Zhenzhen recognized Gu Tingshen's cousin, Gu Wanqing, who had just given birth this year. Just as she was about to offer some words of comfort, she heard the short-haired, capable young woman next to her laugh and say, "The baby is only six months old, what's the rush? Wait until the baby is a year old and your body has recovered before you start losing weight."

After saying that, she asked Ye Zhenzhen with a smile, "Zhenzhen, you and Tingshen have been married for almost half a year, right? Any good news?"

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment before she realized what the so-called "good news" meant, and her face turned red.

This short-haired young woman is named Qin Mu. She is the wife of Gu Tingshen's cousin, and Ye Zhenzhen should call her sister-in-law.

Seeing her reaction, Qin Mu found it even more amusing and leaned closer to tease her, "What's there to be embarrassed about? I gave birth to Siyang the year I got married. If you ask me, it's better to have children early so your body can recover better!"

The people around her also kept urging her to have a baby, making Ye Zhenzhen extremely embarrassed.

She lowered her head, thankful that she had her hair down today, which at least covered her bright red ears and cheeks.

Seeing her like this, everyone laughed even harder.

Ye Zhenzhen simply picked up the jelly from the fruit plate on the table and pretended to study it seriously.

This peach jelly is so unique! It's so beautiful! I could look at it all night!

"Stop teasing Zhenzhen, she's still young and shy. Besides, her twenties are the time to build her career, what's the rush?"

Gu Tingfang patted Ye Zhenzhen's hand with a smile and changed the subject, "Taoyao is doing very well lately. The singing and dancing group they recently launched, what's it called ZDK? It's completely smitten with your brother-in-law's little sister. When she heard I was coming back today, she begged me to ask you for an autograph."

Ye Zhenzhen looked up at her gratefully as if she had seen a savior, and patted her chest to assure her that an autographed photo was nothing, she would have them record a video to encourage her sister to study hard!

The conversation smoothly turned to the entertainment industry. They had hoped to get some inside information from Ye Zhenzhen, but after some probing, they discovered that apart from her own Tao Yao, she knew nothing about the gossip in the industry, which made them feel quite disappointed.

How could someone like you, who's always in the spotlight and a prominent figure, be completely unaware of any inside stories?!

Ye Zhenzhen was also innocent. To avoid the original owner's fate, she had tried her best to stay away from that world of fame and fortune and that circle of gossip. Besides, this was her first time being a boss, and she was so busy every day that she didn't have the energy to read gossip.

"Hey, Zhenzhen, do you remember Bai Xue, the one who always tried to scam you?" Ye Zhenzhen was secretly enjoying the gossip when she suddenly heard someone ask.

She shook her head; she hadn't paid much attention to Bai Xue since she left "I Am an Actor".

"Didn't she always want to marry the third son of the Wang family?" Seeing her blank expression, the man continued, "The Wang family always looked down on her, but a few days ago they suddenly held an engagement banquet and invited a lot of people to attend."

Once the topic was started, someone quickly joined in.

"Tch, after a serious illness last year, Old Master Wang handed the company over to his sons. The eldest son is mediocre, the second son is ambitious, and the third son is a playboy who only knows how to have fun. I heard that they have made a mess of the company. A while ago, there was an accident when a project in the south of the city was being delivered, and his company's stock price dropped quite a bit."

"Who knows? This family is known for not doing anything without a profit motive. Could it be that they're planning to enter the entertainment industry and make a quick buck?"

Ye Zhenzhen listened for a bit, but quickly forgot about it.

Bai Xue had previously belittled the original owner of the body, so she had Zhan Yan crush her in the competition, thus evening things out.

Ultimately, as long as no one disturbs her life, she doesn't care much about Bai Xue.

All the grudges from the previous day have been settled.

From now on, let's keep our bridges separate from our roads and live our own lives.

---

After seeing all the guests off, Ye Zhenzhen rubbed her cheeks, which were stiff from smiling, and clung to Gu Tingshen's arm, taking one step at a time.

Gu Tingshen chuckled and put his arm around her waist. "Tired? Shall I carry you inside?"

“No,” Ye Zhenzhen shook her head and leaned on his shoulder, “Dad, Mom, and Nannan are all watching. Just let me hang it up.”

Gu Tingshen let her hang on, and led her into the house.

"The New Year is so busy! How does Mom manage to be so energetic after attending a whole day of gatherings?" Ye Zhenzhen looked at the spirited elderly couple not far away and felt ashamed of herself. "I feel completely drained..."

Gu Tingshen stopped abruptly. In the brightly lit courtyard, she seemed to see Gu Wanning with short hair, wearing a cynical smile, complaining to her, "Shenshen, how do you think Mom manages to stay so energetic after attending several boring parties in a row?"

"...Ting Shen, what's wrong?" Ye Zhenzhen's voice woke him up.

He looked down into a pair of worried eyes, and forced a smile. "It's alright, let's go back first."

"You look terrible," Ye Zhenzhen straightened up, carefully examined his face, and tiptoed to touch his forehead. "Did you catch a cold?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired." Gu Tingshen lowered his head cooperatively, and after she checked his temperature, he took her hand and walked back. "Let's go, get some rest."

---

This was Ye Zhenzhen's first time staying overnight at the old house.

Unlike the modern and minimalist style of Mantingfang, the decoration here is more Chinese. Many of the furniture and decorations have obvious signs of age, having been passed down for generations, and they gleam with a warm light under the lamp.

After seeing all the guests off, it was nearly midnight.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Ye Zhenzhen felt that Gu's father, mother, and Gu Tingshen were all more silent than usual, and their expressions were rather melancholy.

He seems to have something on his mind.

After saying goodnight to each other, Gu Sinan went to her room on the second floor, familiar with the way.

Ye Zhenzhen followed Gu Tingshen to the room at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Gu Tingshen's hand hovered over the doorknob for a few seconds before slowly turning it and pushing open the dark wooden door.

Ye Zhenzhen was worried about his health and wanted him to go wash up quickly, but he refused.

She quickly tidied herself up and walked out of the bathroom, where she saw the man sitting with his eyes closed on the sofa by the window.

In the dim light of the floor lamp, his thick eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, making him look unusually vulnerable.

Ye Zhenzhen paused, then slowly walked behind the sofa.

She placed her hand on the man's temples and gently massaged them.

Gu Tingshen took one of her hands and kissed it.

"Baby, sit with me for a while." His voice was as deep as ever, but now it was a little hoarse, as if he was suppressing some emotion.

Ye Zhenzhen obediently walked around to his side and sat down next to the man, only then noticing a solid wood photo frame on the coffee table.

In the photo, a short-haired girl is embracing a boy who looks similar to her, and she is smiling brightly.

Ye Zhenzhen always thought that Gu Sinan's appearance was inherited from her uncle, Gu Tingshen.

The uncle and nephew look about 80-90% alike, except that Gu Sinan is younger and has more rounded facial features, while Gu Tingshen's facial features have the angularity of an adult man, making him appear more rugged.

But the short-haired girl standing next to Gu Tingshen in this photo looks almost exactly like Gu Sinan.

The two people in the photo are about the same height, but their expressions are completely different when facing the camera, despite their similar faces.

Gu Tingshen stood ramrod straight, a slight smile playing on his lips—clearly, this was his nature since childhood; he rarely smiled. The girl beside him had one arm around his shoulder, her posture relaxed and casual, her smile radiant.

A name popped into her mind.

Gu Wanning.

A character who exists in the background of the original story but is only briefly mentioned.

Gu Tingshen's older sister, and Gu Sinan's biological mother.

In the original owner's memories, there were vague scenes of her spending time with Sister Gu.

Gu Wanning is humorous and witty, and knows how to take care of children.

When the original owner was a child, he visited the Gu family and fell in love with this beautiful older sister at first sight. When he left with his mother, he hugged her and cried, unwilling to leave.

When the original owner heard of her death, she was saddened for a long time.

The pain of losing a loved one is something that can never be fully healed, no matter how long one spends.

During such a joyous and festive holiday, what a profound sense of sorrow one must feel while staying in an old house steeped in memories of the past.

Ye Zhenzhen dared not think too deeply about it.

She gripped Gu Tingshen's large hand tightly, wanting to say something to comfort him, but felt that words were so inadequate.

Ting Shen seemed to understand her thoughts and kissed the top of her head. "I'm fine. So many years have passed, and Nan Nan is already six years old."

His voice sounded as if it had been sanded, making Ye Zhenzhen's eyes sting with tears.

She knelt up, hugged Gu Tingshen, and let him lean on her thin shoulder. "It's just the two of us here. You don't have to force yourself. Cry if you want to."

Gu Tingshen closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time, but his stiff shoulders slowly relaxed, as if something heavy and oppressive had been lifted off his shoulders.

For the first time in his life, he let himself go and revealed his inner vulnerability to others.

Those past events he thought he had long forgotten, beneath the solidified scars, wounds that never healed.

---

Ye Zhenzhen gently stroked his hair, listening to him recount the past in a low, hoarse voice.

"...She's four years older than me. My parents were always very busy, so she was the one who took care of me when I was little..."

“My mother was very strict with us. She loved small animals, but we weren’t allowed to keep them at home. So she pestered my grandfather to let her keep them in the yard in the suburbs. My grandfather spoiled her the most. He kept the fish and shrimp she caught from the river in his precious water lily pot, and even had someone make her all sorts of small bamboo cages to hold those chirping insects... Later, before my grandfather passed away, he asked Uncle Li to take good care of her precious pets in the yard…”

"She originally wanted to major in biology in college, but her mother insisted she study finance. She agreed, but frequently audited biology classes during her undergraduate years. An older professor in the biology department wanted to recommend her for graduate studies at the same university, and upon learning that she was majoring in finance, he kept urging her to switch majors and study biology..."

"That's when she met Zheng Nan. She emailed me saying she had her eye on a handsome, academically gifted guy in the biology department and was planning to bring him back to be my brother-in-law."

"Mom investigated Zheng Nan..."

Ye Zhenzhen paused her movements, having read the part about Gu Sinan's background in the original book.

Zheng Nan is tall and handsome, with a gentle and reserved nature, which perfectly complements Sister Gu's sharp and outspoken personality.

The two were of similar age and looked well-matched; anyone who saw them would praise them as a perfect couple.

However, this was met with fierce opposition from Gu's mother.

Zheng Nan's mother was deceived by a married man and unintentionally became involved in someone else's marriage.

After learning the truth, she resolutely severed ties with the past and returned to her hometown, only to discover that she was pregnant.

She ultimately chose to give birth to Zheng Nan and raise him with her parents.

The grudges of the older generation had nothing to do with Zheng Nan, but Gu's mother believed that bad bamboo can hardly produce good shoots, and with such a father, Zheng Nan's character must be worrying.

Furthermore, Gu's mother had extremely high expectations for Gu Wanning, and the heir of the Gu family must not be married into such a family, lest they become a laughing stock in high society circles.

"...Mom brought Wan Ning home and demanded that they break up. She disagreed, so her mother confiscated her phone and computer, locked her in the house, and forbade her to contact Zheng Nan...She ran away from home, taking nothing with her—money, bank cards, jewelry, nothing—and just left."

“I was traveling in the Arctic at the time, and my father was away on a business trip abroad. By the time we returned, we had lost all contact with her.”

"Later, I would occasionally receive photos from her in my email. She and Zheng Nan went to F country and had a simple wedding in a church in a small southern town. After that, she worked as a teaching assistant at the local community college."

"They bought a house with a small yard, where they planted many flowers and also kept a cat and a dog. They travel to different places during holidays."

“I thought this was good enough.” Gu Tingshen’s voice choked at this point, and he continued after a long pause, “But not long after, a shooting occurred at that university. Zheng Nan was hit by a stray bullet while protecting her as she ran outside…”

Ye Zhenzhen hugged him tightly, almost unable to bear listening any longer.

The melodramatic and clichéd plot in the book, when applied to the people involved, becomes an unbearable fate.

"When we arrived in Country F, Zheng Nan was still in the emergency room, and Wan Ning was lying on the hospital bed, pale and weak, with a look of panic on her face."

"I had never seen my mother so distraught. She hugged Wan Ning, crying and begging her to pull herself together, pounding her chest in remorse..."

But it was all too late...

"Wan Ning was less than three months pregnant at the time, and she fell ill after handling Zheng Nan's funeral. From then on, her physical and mental health collapsed, and she passed away not long after giving birth to Nan Nan."

"My parents' hair turned white overnight, and my mother fainted from crying at the funeral. I held Nannan, feeling utterly lost. I specifically chose finance as my major in college, thinking that when I took over the company, she could live the life she wanted... But in the blink of an eye, they're both gone..."

Ye Zhenzhen felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, so she turned and hugged the man, gently patting his back.

Under Ye Zhenzhen's gentle comfort, the man spoke intermittently for a long time.

Snow began to fall outside the window at some unknown time; under the dark sky, the snowflakes drifted down silently.